ISSUE FOCUS 44 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE September 2024 “In the last decade, there has been an increased awareness about the risks associated with antimicrobial resistance development and this has resulted in a global trend to reduce or eliminate the use of in-feed antimicrobials in animal production. Phytogenic feed additives, containing bioactive compounds extracted from plants, serve a variety of functions that can contribute to improved health and productivity in poultry production.” Animal-based food products play an important role in the human diet. The poultry industry is the leading supplier of animal protein sources to the world. In 2020, the production of poultry meat (mainly chicken) represented almost 40% of global meat production, and the demand for poultry meat and eggs is expected to increase even further in the next decade (FAO). This calls attention to the significant impact that poultry pathogens can have on food security and the profitability of poultry production. The poultry industry is continuously challenged to optimise production and economic efficiency, while maintaining good animal health and food safety. Going forward, one of the main obstacles is the complete removal or gradual reduction of prophylactic or sub-therapeutic antimicrobials in feed. THE ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE (AMR) CRISIS AND THE POTENTIAL OF PHYTOGENICS Apart from therapeutic use, antimicrobial drugs have been used in poultry production for the preventive treatment of entire flocks, and to improve growth performance and profitability of production. Unfortunately, the overuse of antimicrobial drugs has contributed to the development and spread of antimicrobial drug resistance. Already in 2006, the use of antimicrobials in animal feed for growth promoting purposes has been banned in European Union countries. The World Health Organisation (WHO) classified antimicrobial drug resistance as a global public health concern and, in 2015, a Global Action Plan on AMR was adopted which outlines objectives to decrease AMR under a “One Health” approach (WHO, 2023). The removal of antimicrobial drugs from poultry feed has resulted in challenges in maintaining intestinal health and consequently performance and economic efficiency. As such, it is important to find or develop non-antibiotic compounds as alternative and complementary strategies to promote resilience to disease in poultry. In recent years, particularly phytogenic feed additives have gained an increasing interest as natural alternatives to antimicrobials in poultry production. Phytogenic feed additives are plant-derived compounds added to animal feed to increase proPHYTOGENIC FEED ADDITIVES FOR A MORE RESILIENT POULTRY PRODUCTION Madri Brink Central Technical Manager Orffa
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